# How to take a decent photograph?



## sephoras girl (Nov 18, 2007)

I cannot take a decent picture to save my life!

What are some good tips on taking good photographs?

Maybe I can post them on here one day...


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## Samanosuke (Nov 18, 2007)

Hi

A couple of basic things, (im not an expert) try not to have fluorescent light shining in your face, try as much as possible to have your chin pointing slightly upwards, avoid standing square (your whole body pointing straight at the camera with your arms by your side) try to face the camera at a slight angle, people always say SMILE... I say do it only if you like your smile because if you don't like it, you will hate all the pictures you are in with a smile ( =D i know i do that!!)

umm... if i remember any more tips i'll post them.

Good luck ( ^_^ /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />)


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## S. Lisa Smith (Nov 18, 2007)

Ask Karren Hutton. She takes great pictures!!! I have a hard time posing for my self timer.


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## MindySue (Nov 19, 2007)

Originally Posted by *S. Lisa Smith* /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ask Karren Hutton. She takes great pictures!!! I have a hard time posing for my self timer. Dito..I try to do OOTD posts but most always I cant get a decent pic from the timer.
Find your good angles, if I look straight on I look pretty crappy but if I slightly angle myself I look much better. And find your good side, I have one side that always looks horrible on camera, the other looks better.

Im not one to give advice though my pics come out horrible 99% of the time


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## dentaldee (Nov 19, 2007)

I finally learned a handy trick.......... tape a piece of coffee filter over the flash ......I always found it washed me out.......now it's great!!


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## Nox (Nov 19, 2007)

I just bought a brand new camera today, so I have to get used to the whole deal all over again.

But with my old camera, I did learn alot about using better composition to compensate for the lack of quality. Sometimes cameras just do better with natural sunlight in general, so then you always have to take daytime shots by a sunny window. Some cameras cannot get detail worth crap. In those instances, you proabably have to be within 2 - 10 feet of the camera even with a little bit of zoom. Even though I almost never used flash in any of my pictures that I posted on here, my colors still got warped and washed out. Again, natural sunlight makes it better, but there's not much you can do about it unless you use a colored filter to intensify hue.

With the posing, I think nearly everybody can look okay head-on. For some people have the head straight up and forward can photograph a bit harsh, so try cocking it to one side ever so slightly. Everyone has unique facial projections that will read differently on camera. If your face is flatter, you may loose a lot of definition, especially with flash. If you have a prominent mouth/jaw/nose, it is sometimes very flattering to tilt your head upwards and hold the camera at a higher elevation to change the incidence angle a bit.

I dunno, play around with it. You'll find ways that work for you. I always thought I was generally unattractive and unphotogenic until I came to MuT and forced myself to get better at camerawork and posing.


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## farris2 (Nov 19, 2007)

I have the same probs..thats why I never post photos


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## Karren (Nov 19, 2007)

Lisa's too kind!! Lol. I have a Sony Cybershot with a mini tripod.. Which also has a velcro strap for attaching it to railings and poles.. Works great..

And a few things I've discovered is that if I'm taking a picture of myself with the self timer (and when out dressed I do it way too much..lol) I do not use the auto feature.. Mainly because in of the auto focus.. When you set the timer and click the shutter the camera will measure the auto fucus distance and if your not standing where ever it measured then your blurry.. If your going to be standing next to something or up aginst a wall then it will work fine..

I typically set mine to manual and set the focal length to infinity.. That way if your over say 3 feet away your always in focus.. I've also used a coffee filter but I've found that there many flash settings that will reduce the over flashing..

if I'm going to take a self portrait of say my face and upper body many times I'll turn out all the lights in the room so you get a nice black background.. And hold the camera with one arm outstretched, using the auto focus since I'm closer than 3 feet, smile, and I typically hold the camera above a bit.. And cock my head and neck a bit... More artsie I gusee but the photos look good.. Sometimes the most contorted poses give the best looking results...

No big secrets.. Just a lot of experimenting..

Karren


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## MamaRocks (Nov 19, 2007)

Coffee filter= great idea! I'm so pale ( as you notice in my avatar ) in all my pics because of the flash!


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## Jesskaa (Nov 19, 2007)

All theese tips are really great.

I think basically you gotta learn to work yourself with your camera.


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## empericalbeauty (Nov 20, 2007)

You can also use the self timer so you have some time to work on your pose before the picture..takes.


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## sweetksrose (Nov 20, 2007)

Awesome suggestions!!!! Thanks!


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## lglala84 (Nov 20, 2007)

Play with your camara! Mine has a function for indoor lighting and it makes a big difference


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## Lia (Nov 20, 2007)

I know some people never do that, but a good thing is to read the manual of your camera - it'll teach you about its options, which is good when you don't know how to take a pic using it


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## Nox (Nov 20, 2007)

Originally Posted by *Lia* /img/forum/go_quote.gif I know some people never do that, but a good thing is to read the manual of your camera - it'll teach you about its options, which is good when you don't know how to take a pic using it ^ Bingo! After I did that with some of my past cameras, alot of my problems were solved! Of course, this past recent camera that I just "retired" did not come with a manual.


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## rlise (Nov 20, 2007)

if you want closeups , you want the macro mode and/or portrait mode!

a tripod if you want crystal clear photos....

defiantely try out every angle of yourself to find the best of you! ya know! and yea mirrors can crazy tricks too! lol

if you can minimize the flash do so about half way.. most cams are brutal w/ the flash.

you want filtered in sunlight rather then your kitchen flourescent one





hope this helped these are few i have come across that work great w/ my canon!


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## Sirvinya (Nov 20, 2007)

I'm awful at taking photos. But, thanks to having a digital camera I can take loads of pictures and only keep the best ones.


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## sephoras girl (Nov 20, 2007)

Maybe it was the camera at sears...


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## eft920 (Nov 22, 2007)

Fluorescent light can make you look green-ish so avoid that. Incandescent lighting can make you look orangish unless your camera is really good about adjusting for light sources. Diffuse, soft light works best. If you have a north-facing window, you'll get good, flattering, soft light on a sunny day.

On camera flash is harsh and unflattering. Flashes are usually meant for subjects that are 4 to 12 feet away from the camera. If you are closer than that, you'll look washed out. The coffee filter (or a handkerchief or paper towel) not only decreases the amount of light, it also softens it.

Also if your camera has a zoom lens, don't use it at the widest angle setting. It will distort you. Professional photographers use slightly telephoto lenses when doing portraits because it's more flattering.

A tripod is essential. So is a way to trick the auto focus if it focuses while you are out of the picture setting the self timer.


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## Leza1121 (Nov 22, 2007)

Hi,

There are some very good tips here.


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## Tamara V (Nov 22, 2007)

*As you can tell from my pictures, I have taken a lot of them. You will only see 1% of the pictures ever taken because that is generally where your top pictures fall.*

*I use a Sony digital and a solid full-sized tripod. When shooting face only shots from less that 5 feet I use a remote shutter release which allows me to shoot 3 or 4 shots back to back. I place a full length mirror behind the tripod on a stool or something so that I have a full veiw of my entire body both before and during the shot. I generally look directly at the camera or slightly past it at my reflection. And alwasy remember to smile unless you are looking for a more serious look*

*When I want a full body shot I use the timer feature which gives me 8 seconds to stroll to the final site, pose and wait for the shutter. Then before shooting another picture I check the last shot to see how it centered or how the pose looked. Then I modify my behavior to create a better picture. *

*I always use the automatic feature on my camera because it is so much smarter than I am concerning exposure times and such. On any given day prior to or returning from work I take pictures to remind me of the look, (how good or how bad) so that I can either repeat it or not. Obviously normal women wouldn't do this but as a crossdresser who has chronic doubts about her appearance, you have to look what you feel is your best.*

*I generally shoot outside using natural light supplemented with the camera's flash. The flash helps fill in the light under the chin and in shaded areas. You can see my deck in 90% of my pictures.*

*If taking a head shot only I make sure to look up into the camera so that the neck is elongated and doesn't show the turkey skin. If taking a full length shot I drop the tripod top section to body level and set the magnification to give me a foot or so over the top of my hair and at least 6 in below my feet so that I can see how my shoes look in the outfit I am wearing. *

*Sorry to make this so long but I am really hung up on taking attractive pictures since this is our portrayal to all that look at our pictures. If we look crappy in our pictures our credibility drops immediately. That is why I always look at my pictures before going out the door to make sure it is working...*

*When I take pictures of others I generally take 200 shots for every 5 really good ones, don't think every shot is the very best until you can really compare them side by side. then I dump the bad ones so that there is no evidence.*


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## sephoras girl (Nov 23, 2007)

Originally Posted by *Tamara V* /img/forum/go_quote.gif *As you can tell from my pictures, I have taken a lot of them. You will only see 1% of the pictures ever taken because that is generally where your top pictures fall.*
*I use a Sony digital and a solid full-sized tripod. When shooting face only shots from less that 5 feet I use a remote shutter release which allows me to shoot 3 or 4 shots back to back. I place a full length mirror behind the tripod on a stool or something so that I have a full veiw of my entire body both before and during the shot. I generally look directly at the camera or slightly past it at my reflection. And alwasy remember to smile unless you are looking for a more serious look*

*When I want a full body shot I use the timer feature which gives me 8 seconds to stroll to the final site, pose and wait for the shutter. Then before shooting another picture I check the last shot to see how it centered or how the pose looked. Then I modify my behavior to create a better picture. *

*I always use the automatic feature on my camera because it is so much smarter than I am concerning exposure times and such. On any given day prior to or returning from work I take pictures to remind me of the look, (how good or how bad) so that I can either repeat it or not. Obviously normal women wouldn't do this but as a crossdresser who has chronic doubts about her appearance, you have to look what you feel is your best.*

*I generally shoot outside using natural light supplemented with the camera's flash. The flash helps fill in the light under the chin and in shaded areas. You can see my deck in 90% of my pictures.*

*If taking a head shot only I make sure to look up into the camera so that the neck is elongated and doesn't show the turkey skin. If taking a full length shot I drop the tripod top section to body level and set the magnification to give me a foot or so over the top of my hair and at least 6 in below my feet so that I can see how my shoes look in the outfit I am wearing. *

*Sorry to make this so long but I am really hung up on taking attractive pictures since this is our portrayal to all that look at our pictures. If we look crappy in our pictures our credibility drops immediately. That is why I always look at my pictures before going out the door to make sure it is working...*

*When I take pictures of others I generally take 200 shots for every 5 really good ones, don't think every shot is the very best until you can really compare them side by side. then I dump the bad ones so that there is no evidence.*




How can I put this......

I'm kinda confused with the explanation.

I don't know anything about cameras except holding a flash button and snapping the shot.

I'm a complete newbie to this stuff.

Your explanation is superb but I'm just so new at this stuff.


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## Killah Kitty (Nov 23, 2007)

Great tips in here, I will try the coffee filter thing, and also I should invest in a tripod, I have very shaky hands alot of the time. Since I dont have a tripod I have stacked books and placed my camera on top of that for stability lol not a bad idea but you need a lot of books or magazines.

I also agree lighting is everything. You need to experiment in every sort of light. Lots of my pictures look SO different just from the lighting.

My main thing though is taking pictures that arent blurry (near impossible for me lol) So I guess I should get a tripod. My camera has an attachment for it, but didnt come with one


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## elnkay (Nov 24, 2007)

These are wonderful tips. I too have been trying to improve my picture taking before posting.The timer/autofocus is the best tip ...makes sense after i read it. Thanks Karen!


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## dixiewolf (Nov 24, 2007)

Originally Posted by *Lia* /img/forum/go_quote.gif I know some people never do that, but a good thing is to read the manual of your camera - it'll teach you about its options, which is good when you don't know how to take a pic using it I have had my camera 2 years and never read it, lol. I was thinking about that today. I kept taking pictures of the pets and they looked awful. The worst is when I take pictures of myself. Someone has to do it for me. The others I delete they are so bad.


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## sephoras girl (Nov 28, 2007)

That's kinda weird for me.


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## lummerz (Nov 29, 2007)

Karen: My hubby has the exact same camera as you. Although, I hardly take pics of myself unless he isn't here for weeks..then i have no other choice. But like,

MindySue said try to find your good side and angled pics do look better and i find that diffusing the camera light with a paper or filter works great too.


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## specktren (Nov 29, 2007)

The best way to take a picture is to not prepare yourself to much ... don't think about it and just take it. Random shots always turn out the best for me. (plus its a lot of fun to just try all the angles you can put yourself in)

Normally when I do self photos, I take about 50 pictures all at random and then choose which ones turn out the best. And don't be so hard on the pictures you take, the ones you hate the most will turn out to be the ones others like the best


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## Ode to Joy (Nov 29, 2007)

my pictures always turn out harsh when I use flash, but when I turn flash off my pictures are blurred, washed out and you can't see anything in detail.

You can even see more of my pimples and red spots than you can see in normal light aaaaaaaah


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## jakk-attakk (Nov 29, 2007)

i wonder if anyone knows the answer to this cos its bugged me for years. i look god awful in pictures. now i know i'm not the most beautiful thing in the world by any means but i think i look ok in the mirror. i just look completely different in pictures - like 2 different people. so which one is a more accurate image of how i really look?


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## sephoras girl (Nov 30, 2007)

The mirror


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## jakk-attakk (Nov 30, 2007)

i was hoping you'd say that lol cos i've heard both. people have told me before that a picture wont tell you how you really look cos it depends on lighting, angle and its just a caption of one moment in time.

but i've also heard a picture is more accurate because your face is not symmetrical so when you look in the mirror you're seeing something totally different to what other people see because you're seeing the left side of your face as the right and vice versa, so a picture is more accurate.

im gunning for the mirror though!


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## MeiLy (Nov 30, 2007)

Thx for the tips ! Especially the coffee filter


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## Ode to Joy (Nov 30, 2007)

yes, I wondered that too... does a pic show your "real ugliness" that you don't want to see? lol


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## MeiLy (Nov 30, 2007)

Pictures never show you as you really are, colors change all the time, the skin shines more, you look older or younger, etc.. It's the same with audio recordings that change the tone of your voice (I can never recognize myself when I hear my answering machine)


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## jakk-attakk (Nov 30, 2007)

i got my mum to stand next to me and look at my reflection and she said i look different in the mirror than in person. but she said i look better in person than i do in the mirror. which has me totally confused cos i look so bad in pics lol.


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## MeiLy (Nov 30, 2007)

Yes because your mother is used to see you in real, so when she sees your reflection she doesn't recognize your face as she knows it since the face is reversed.

But a person who sees you for the first time wouldn't see any difference between you and your reflection.. I think.


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## opla42 (Dec 4, 2007)

attemptestock.deviantart.com/art/Guide-to-Stock-Part-I-34694494 with the http bfore


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## Kookie-for-COCO (Dec 17, 2007)

I am getting a camera for Christmas. I may be in over my head. LOL


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## cherryblossom13 (Dec 17, 2007)

Originally Posted by *MindySue* /img/forum/go_quote.gif Dito..I try to do OOTD posts but most always I cant get a decent pic from the timer.
Find your good angles, if I look straight on I look pretty crappy but if I slightly angle myself I look much better. And find your good side, I have one side that always looks horrible on camera, the other looks better.

Im not one to give advice though my pics come out horrible 99% of the time

Haha I do the angle thing too. I look horendous straight on. Speaking of crappy pictures, I got really depressed after seeing pics from my work Xmas party today. I looked 300 lbs, my nose looked HUGE and I had no lips! They were worse than usual for some reason


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## Sharifa (Dec 19, 2007)

Great tips! As others have said, go ahead and take a lot of pictures, even professional photographers do this (I was told that in photography class in high school) because only maybe 1 out of 10 will turn out really good. It's easier now with digital cameras since you don't have to pay for the film and processing! Just about everything looks best in 3/4 view, even inanimate objects, have you noticed how most car advertisements have them pictured at 3/4 view?


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## MamaRocks (Dec 19, 2007)

great tips!


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## sephoras girl (Dec 20, 2007)

In a certain lighting?


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## Annia (Dec 28, 2007)

For me, I sorta take a million pictures (in various angles) and only keep like 1 or 2 photos because the rest of the 99 pics are horrible.

So I just start snapping photos and hope for the best and I usually get at least a few good ones some where in there.


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## sephoras girl (Dec 28, 2007)

In regular lighting?


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## reesesilverstar (Dec 28, 2007)

For me dipping my chin and inhaling with a slight smile works...

Anything else shows off my square chin and I think I look dude-ish

You should just practice to see what works for you.

And I"m gonna try the coffee filter over the flash thingie!

THanks for asking this!!!


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## sephoras girl (Mar 2, 2008)

Does anyone use photoshop after taking their pics?


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